Brand New School Gives Pupils a Taste of Sustainable Living

Ysgol ID Hooson in Rhos, near Wrexham was once an unremarkable, run-down primary. But now, thanks to a brand new school building, it is one of the best and most eco-friendly facilities in the UK.

The school opened its doors in September 2007 and now teaches some 230 pupils in its bright, modern and environmentally-friendly classrooms.

The new school is housed in a ‘U’ shaped building with classrooms opening out onto a courtyard space which can be used for play and outdoor classes.

Its low design minimises the impact on the surrounding landscape and the main hall has curved steel cladding with glazing at a high level, giving the illusion of the roof floating over the walls.

With the outside walls painted in a spectrum of bright colours, two grass sports pitches and a hard area marked out for games, the new building has a positive, open feel that encourages connection with the outside environment.

Headteacher Bryn Jones explained: “The new building is much more attractive than the old one. We have more light and space, and it’s a much better working environment for the children. There are lots of environmentally features, so the running costs of the building should be low and the children have much more respect for the school building.”

The Welsh medium school was chosen for re-development following the discovery that the original building had fallen into disrepair and pupils were being taught in outside cabins.

“We had double the number of pupils that we should have had,” said Bryn Jones, “all the juniors were being taught in outside classrooms and the toilet block was outside. It was decided that the Welsh medium school should have a new building and the English medium schools should be situated at the former Ysgol Rhos site, and we’re extremely pleased with the outcome.”

The new building has a range of environmentally features such as a ground source heat pump that draws heat from the earth to provide heating and hot water, and roof mounted photo voltaic modules to provide extra electricity.

Bryn Jones said: “The rainwater is collected in a huge tank in the school grounds and used to flush the toilets, and there are environmentally friendly features right around the school. For example, the lights draw natural light from outside to light up the classrooms and corridors and even on a dull day they make the space quite light enough.

“The amount of electric light used varies depending on the brightness that is coming from the natural lights, and all lights are fitted to sensors that mean that they switch on when you enter a room and switch off when you leave. It’s features like this that not only save the school money but also teach the children about saving electricity.”

The school certainly has the capacity to be used to teach pupils about sustainability and will be invaluable when the new Welsh curriculum is implemented in September, which places a lot of emphasis on education for sustainable development.

“There is more and more focus on sustainability in the curriculum,” said Bryn Jones, “and the pupils are actively involved with learning about the features of the school and understanding how they work. The wind turbine, for example, produces very little electricity but it’s great for the kids to see it working and to link it to their understanding of sustainable energy.”

Construction Company Carillion were the main contractors responsible for delivering the new school building and successfully completed the project on time and on budget.

Site Manager for the project Lee Mottram commented: “This has been a challenging and enjoyable project to be a part of. The many renewable energy sources within the project will not only benefit the school and the environment but will also aid in the education of the pupils to become more environmentally aware.”

Chair of Govenors and Leader of Wrexham Council, Councillor Aled Roberts added: "This is another important step in ensuring that Wrexham provides first class facilities for all of its children.

“These facilities are second to none and for the first time children attending a Welsh Medium school in the village will no longer be taught in dilapidated mobile classrooms but will be able to access one of the best facilities in the UK.